


love is like lemons and peaches

by guide_to_the_galaxy



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, i had to include irma im not sorry, i love my mystery gang children and they deserve each other and happiness, teenage love is very confusing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guide_to_the_galaxy/pseuds/guide_to_the_galaxy
Summary: And then the inevitable happens. In that moment, fate decides to shit on him and make it so that his eyes catch April’s through the glass.See they were always this thing- Dee, Casey and April- this dance of too much loving and feeling and confusing thoughts, second-guesses, and from that moment, that night, in their van, Casey’s bruised head touched with tender, cold fingers and warm lips, Donnie has been terribly unsure of where to go from there.





	love is like lemons and peaches

**Author's Note:**

> For Capriltello week I present my mystery au kids, terribly in love and very confused about it ft Irma who I just could not leave out. Enjoy!

It was sophomore year, which was a pretty big deal on the scale of all school years considered; you weren't a freshman, and you didn't have to soul crushing, hair-pulled-out stress levels of junior and senior year.

All in all, Donnie thinks, staring at April dance under confetti, it was a good place to be.

She spins, laughing and tossing her head back, the flow of sparkles and glitter seemingly eternal. Her arms are free in the twirls of her magic sundial dance. God, she was ethereal and on another plane of existence. If Donnie had ever lived in 1962, this would surely take him back. Her simplistic and wild beauty.

Yeah. A real good place to be.

He thinks she flashes her smile at him, in between being overcome by the music, until Casey comes into view, and pulls April in by her waist. Hands steadier than Donnie’s would be. Kisses her in a million ways Donnie only ever dreamt of kissing April O’neil since middle school.

It was sloppy. It was entrancing and alluring and strange.

Dee’s smile at them falters, and he, despite it all, laughs, taking a sip of what was most likely spiked and turns to head to the balcony.

Irma is there, in a turtleneck sweater and a long plaid skirt, reading an Indiana Jones comic that had glitter infused in the crevices between pages. Hair pulled back in a scrunchie.

Slouching over the balcony with her, Donnie stares out into the city. The sun had gone down now, but light pollution made stars hard to see. And he feels her eyes on him. Feels her bubbling up with something, like Irma always does when she's guilty, or eager to get away.

(particularly, it was both simultaneously warring in her)

It bubbles and bubbles and she rereads the same page seven times before slapping it shut, a few sparkles fluttering to her sandals.

 _"Shit,”_ she says with passion, like she’d just come down to Earth again after a certain kind of release, turning to Donnie, “I really shouldn't be here..."  

She groans, hitting her face against Indiana Jones' on the cover, "And if my mom knew this was a... _party,_ party? I’m screwed. Double screwed for nearly making out with Hayley Hinsdale, oh _god.”_

Donnie snorts, eyeing her, “Nearly?”

Irma sighs, face still pressed against the comic book, “We both have braces...but she gets hers off next Wednesday, so. Y'know.”

Nodding, Donnie can’t help but smile.

They’d all only just known Irma for a grand total of about a month, a week and a day, and strangely she had felt like home and an adventure in one package of four feet and eight inches (and growing! according to her anyway, and her pediatrician). And she was crazy about three things: books, monsters and women. Preferably women who were monsters in books, because, in reality, Irma had always tended to fail _miserably_ at flirting.

“Bummer,” Donnie says, eventually, nudging her a little for nothing other than human touch, “Whaddaya tell your mom?”

"I told her you guys were going bowling...and then for a pizza...?" she winces, peeling the book away to see Dee about to burst with laughter, and wacks him on the shoulder hard.

"Don't. _Laugh,_ you asshole. It was- I never lie to 'er, Dee....and- I technically didn't...I-" Irma clamps her mouth shut, huffing as Donnie starts cackling, doubling over.

"Screw you, you’re no better than Casey!" she growls, but a laugh breaks through as she shoves against Don.

He takes a breath, cheeks reddening (he prays in the darkness of the balcony, and beneath his skin that Irma can’t see) and shoves her back lightly, swaying, "Well, why didn't ya just tell me...you don't hafta stay if you don't want to, Irma.”

She pouts, rolling her eyes over to him, cheeks squished against her fist, "Would it be dumb...if I said I wanted to kinda look cool? Comin' here?"

"No...nah. I get it."

"Yeah?" Irma’s nose does that little twitch at her smile.

"Yeah," Donnie sighs, "I mean...I'll neva look...cool. But April, Case. They get looser...better. Than I do- guess that's one'a the many downsides to anxiety, huh,” he chuckles, “I jus'...wanna be dumb like them, for a second. Maybe _that’s_ dumb, I dunno." he chuckles and Irma snorts, bumping him with her tiny hips.

"You're silly," simply, she says.

They deflate, leaning against cool metal, and Donnie turns his aides down a little, to be present only in this. Out here.

His eyes flicker over to Irma, who seems to be solely present all on her own, and he cracks a grin.

"I'll take ya home," he offers.

Irma perks, looking over at him incredulously, "Forreal? I mean, I figured I'd catch- catch the bus 'er something."

Donnie shakes his head, "We'll get pizza, and….we’ll _pass_ a bowling alley. Then I take ya home safe an' sound. No lies to your mother told."

He raises his hand in a scouts’ honor kind of promise, grinning.

And Irma does a dance in resemblance to the one she and Mikey made. Donnie watches her, turning red with amusement as she finishes, snagging his keys from his pocket.

"I'll warm the car-"

"Irma-"

 _"No_...touching the poltergeist, monster hunting stuff,  I know. I know. Just... _thank_ you." she flashes a smile and makes a beeline inside and through the people, leaving Don to snicker to himself on the balcony.

And then the inevitable happens. In that moment, fate decides to shit on him and make it so that his eyes catch April’s through the glass. See they were always this thing- Dee, Casey and April- this dance of too much loving and feeling and confusing thoughts, second-guesses, and from that moment, that night, in their van, Casey’s bruised head touched with tender, cold fingers and warm lips, Donnie has been terribly unsure of where to go from there.

That was the peak of it all, and now he’s pulled back to be sure he won’t ruin a part of this wonderful thing they’ve got going.

But hearts are so tricky, and if fate exists- it’s tricky too. So Donnie’s feet carry themselves in, and across the floor to April.

And once he’s close enough to smell fruit punch and alcohol and her cherry perfume, he swallows, "I’m uh...'m gonna take Irma home, 'fore her mom gets suspicious, y'know...I’ll see you in- in Mrs. Felix’s class. Monday."

He mentally _murders_ himself, eyes flickering everywhere but April’s eyes.

April smiles, and cups his face with both of her really cold hands, wet at the fingertips. Drinks. Her smile is glowing as she cranes her neck and kisses his jaw.

"You’re so _chiv'lrous,"_ she giggles, “Come over tomorrow?”  

Donnie is frozen. Like, stuck. Unable to move, unable to speak, breathe, make a weird noise in his throat that would cue the _let’s pump the breaks shall we?_ kinda thing- he’s _caught_.

And Casey comes up from behind then, just before Dee can manage a thing to say, throwing his arm around him, cigarette between his fingers.

Something this guy said to Donnie once, about going in for what you want, made a stark recollection in him as he took the cigarette from Jack and smoked it once. Bad idea, of course, because he’d never smoked in his life except for one time (behind their neighbor’s house with Raph, then killed by Leo), but he holds in the complete urge to gag.

Casey laughs from behind though, taking it back for a drag.

And Donnie blows the smoke out when he lets his tensions go, shoulders relaxing, and it encases April’s face as he leans in and goes for her jaw and chin and works his way slowly to her lips, jumping slightly at the cold touch on the back of his neck. Casey.

The room lights up in purples and pinks and blues and Casey kisses his neck so intensely it nearly throws Donnie off from April’s lips. And they’re dancing without thinking, moving and molding into one, their hearts fluttering and-

"Don! Hey! _Dee!"_

Irma is across the room, by the door, jumping over flashing colors of light and dancing bodies. Even then, he could only see the tips of her fingers.

And it takes all he’s got to break away from this, even as April tries to pull him in, and ducks out of Casey’s arm. A look, of something had, and wanted uncontrollably, of something desperate and torn, is shared three ways between them as he back pedals, offering a small smile.

So maybe they’ll never get further than passion; school killed the mood and they always were on the move with the next new cryptic legend to discover.

But for now, this is them.

Donnie turns back one more time, and can’t find their faces anymore.

"Hey. _Asshole...”_

Irma’s voice shakes him out of a stupor, quizzical eyes staring up at him, “You....okay?" she asks him, brushing ash and lipstick from his cheek, her eyes narrow and keen.

Donnie gives her a brief smile and a curt nod, "Yeah, yeah...yeah 'm good. All good."

He ushers her to the exit, and they don't talk about whether or not he was telling the truth over slices of pizza in his car, outside of some bowling alley. And he listens to her talk about how, on the way out, she bumped into Hayley Hinsdale. Their braces didn’t get stuck after all.

All the while Donnie stares out into nothing at all, but his own love-struck and melancholy thoughts.


End file.
